Loving, Living and Letting Go
by melinda08
Summary: As Marie waits for Hank's call to let her know he was coming home, suddenly the future became clearer to her than anything in the world ever had. All he had to do was call. For SilverXF with many thanks. You know.


Loving, living, and letting go

0000

She didn't know when he'd come home, but he'd done it. He captured Heisenberg. Marie couldn't even stand to call him by his other name,(Real name? Who was the real Walter White?) and just the knowledge that the man responsible for murders, drugs, the near fatal injury of her own husband (and Heisenberg's brother-in-law) made her feel both overwhelmingly happy yet sad at the same time. Of course, she was happy. Happy that they could put this behind them, start a new chapter of their lives. What that future held, she had no idea. Hank had wanted kids- but with Heisenberg a danger to their families for so long, Marie knew that the timing had never been right. But seeing how well Flynn had turned out in spite of his 'father', how happy Holly seemed to be, so oblivious to all the chaos surrounding her brief life-well, all Marie knew was that she and Hank had a lot to celebrate that night. And if she happened to not take her birth control...well, that would only be icing on the cake.

Yes, with Heisenberg on his last leg and never seeing the light of day again, maybe, just maybe, the timing was right for her and Hank to start that family that he'd always talked about having.

She kept putting him off. She had her career, money, she had to help Skyler with Flynn, Heisenberg...the list went on and on. But now as they were ready to face the future without that dark cloud of evil hanging over them, maybe, just maybe...if God were willing and the timing just right...maybe in a year she'd be holding on to her own child.

The best part- he or she wouldn't be just her child. That alone would have been a scary thought...but this child would be part of Hank as well. Maybe Hank wasn't perfect, but he was perfect for her. They'd weathered some pretty bad storms, but after seeing how strong Hank was, how invincible he was, was there a better time to bring their child into the world?

As Marie waited for the phone to ring, for Hank to tell her that he was coming home, that it was all over, officially, that Heisenberg was behind those iron bars...all Marie could think of was how things would turn out. Yes, he'd just made a life-changing call to her. He loved her, and he was coming home. She couldn't wait for him to come home. Heck, maybe they wouldn't even wait until nighttime to begin trying for their own child. After all, what way to thank a true hero than by bringing a child into the world who would be carrying the Shrader name?

Tonight was going to be the night, Marie just knew it. Yes, one time would be all it took. Nine months from now she'd be presenting their child to Hank. If she knew Hank and how he was with kids, she could easily see that hero turning into a crybaby as he heard his own son or daughter cry for the first time. The thought of that moment suddenly excited Marie more than she ever thought possible.

Skyler looked at her curiously. "You're smiling." she said, plaintively.

Yes, Skyler's husband was an evil, evil criminal. But maybe it was a defense mechanism, maybe a little fantasy- probably a little of both, but having made her decision, Marie did not feel bad at all. All she had to do was wait for the phone to ring. Hank would call, they'd meet up at home, then nature would take its course.

Suddenly the phone rang; only it wasn't Marie's phone that rang. It was Skyler's. They both knew who it was.

As Marie strained to listen to the conversation, she still held on to hope that Hank would be coming home soon.

But as Heisenberg continued to speak...slowly, bit by bit, piece by piece, something started to occur to Marie that hadn't really, in all reality, occurred to her before.

And then..."You will never see Hank again!"

It took Marie only a second to understand what Heisenberg, Hank's brother-in-law had just confessed to.

Hank would not be coming home. Not that night, nor any other night.

Her husband was dead, killed by the hands of his own brother-in-law- his family (Heisenberg's words).

And the world suddenly turned into a dark, dark place. If hell were half as bad as what she was feeling at that moment, then certainly there was a place reserved for Walt...)

Hank was gone. As Marie covered her mouth with her hand, as she started to feel herself collapse, as she felt her dreams of starting a little family with her husband escape her mind and heart permanantly, Marie just realized that all her hopes and dreams would never come true. They'd left the minute Walter White...

Gone. Just like that, Marie began to cry, not just for the family she had found in Hank, but for the family she would have with him that would never, ever happen.

The end


End file.
